Frederick Wiseman's 1975 documentary, "Welfare," takes audiences on a raw and unfiltered journey through the American welfare system. Eschewing traditional narrative structures, Wiseman employs a Direct Cinema approach, presenting a stark and observational portrayal of individuals navigating a system fraught with challenges.

The film's power lies in its purist approach to audio, capturing the ambient sounds of crowded waiting rooms and impassioned dialogues. Wiseman's discretion, with the microphone placed intimately among the subjects, creates an authentic atmosphere. The choice to remain discreet, however, means the lack of explicit permission from those portrayed, adding an ethical layer to the documentary's production.

"Welfare" is a thought-provoking exploration of societal issues, as it immerses viewers in the lives of people waiting for elusive promises of justice and equity. The absence of a narrator allows the audience to draw their own conclusions, amplifying the impact of the raw, unmediated sounds and visuals.

While some may find the film lacking the interactive quality of Cinéma Vérité, its provocative nature and powerful portrayal of social realities make it a compelling watch. "Welfare" stands as a testament to Wiseman's ability to capture the essence of a complex system, providing an unflinching gaze into the struggles faced by those navigating the welfare labyrinth.

The documentary "Welfare 1975" was painfully touching in every way. This documentary by Fredrick Wiseman showed what it would really be like to be on welfare. The entire film of almost three hours was all about different exchanges between the people who are struggling financially in New York in 1974 and the people who worked in the welfare offices. Nothing went as planed for either party. While this documentary was pretty uneventful, it was still hypnotizing because nothing in this documentary was staged. Wisemen has been known for creating amazing, undramatized documentaries, but the simplicity and the power behind this film is undeniable. All of the things that were caught on camera were real encounters which made the whole film so much more touching. One can watch an actual person beg for help and be turned away. This documentary showed both sides to what happens in welfare situations: The people who really needed help and got turned away, the people who did not need help received support. These were the two extremes that people usually think of first when the topic of welfare is brought up.

One event in this documentary really touched me. There is a man there and he says this amazing quote. "I have 22 years of education behind me and 17 years of loyalty to this state. Now, after 7 months in the hospital that is going to change." Then this tall, New York man sits down in the waiting area and he prays out loud to God saying that he will accept what is to come. In this moment, a janitor is listening to his prayer in awe. This moment really speaks for the whole documentary. This Fredrick Wiseman documentary showed the other side to a welfare situation and for that I will forever adore Wisemen. His work is well known, but one will never understand how powerful his films are until one watches them.

I would rate this film at an eight out of ten stars because it was very long and some what repetitive. However, I would not take back any of the time that I spent watching this documentary because it was very real and moving. It showed how welfare is needed but policies do need to be altered to make it fool proof. Since 1975, the government has obviously made some changes to welfare, but I do believe that this film highly influenced where welfare went after that set time.

Welfare is pretty much about a day to day life of Welfare Officers and the people who is in need of welfare.

Its the most dramatic of his films so far. With people in deep need and officers who are limited by their budgets and "laws", emotions run high as they try to meet half-way.

There are decently good material about the hyperbole of Welfare in America. Half of them are in a rut, since they are truly in need of so much information just to prove the money to go out. It is clear that some are pushed to their edge (especially the girl who was being forced to go back, or the racist welfare guy to the guard or the worker who wants to be a supervisor) BUT I do not think some are actually using the 'welfare' for good. One example is the North Carolina Mother-Daughter who are stretching their ability to get welfare AND is using it as to get more money. They were livid since no one seems to be able to just say NO to them AND are forcing them to go around to possibly get it.

I think this is a much more complex and active documentary that the 'directness' works wonder. Everyone here is naturally elevated since they are actively being judged. Their actions, their voice, their looks. Its such a rich text to watch.

PS: You kinda see how people who never worked with service or customer facing work. They are highly judgmental of the workers who was to give hard decisions. It might be unpopular but it has to happen.